Written Answers Tuesday 14 July 2009

Scottish Executive

Digital Technology

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the €1 billion funding package for rural broadband under the European Economic Recovery Plan will be allocated to Scotland.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used to determine the distribution of Scotland’s share of the €1 billion funding package for rural broadband under the European Economic Recovery Plan.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scotland’s share of the €1 billion funding package for rural broadband under the European Economic Recovery Plan will be distributed under the Scotland Rural Development Programme through the LEADER programme and, if so, whether it will be ring-fenced and whether it will be additional to any LEADER funding already allocated.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when applications can be made for funding from Scotland’s share of the €1 billion funding package for rural broadband under the European Economic Recovery Plan.

Richard Lochhead: Scotland’s share of the €1 billion funding package for rural broadband under the European Economic Recovery Plan is approximately €2.9 million. Criteria to determine the distribution of the funding package are currently being considered by the Scottish Government and will be concluded over the summer. Applications for the funding will be invited as soon as practicable thereafter.

  As I announced on 10 June, funding for broadband services will be distributed under the Scotland Rural Development Programme through LEADER. I can also confirm that this funding will be ring-fenced and is additional to LEADER funding already allocated.

Equal Opportunities

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the next steps from Section 3.11.1 of the Tackling Occupational Segregation in Scotland: A Report of Activities from the Scottish Government Cross-Directorate Occupational Segregation Working Group report it will be taking forward and what the timescale is for the implementation of these steps.

Alex Neil: We are hoping to take forward all of the "next steps" and can report the following progress to date:

  A network of officials throughout the Scottish Government is working in partnership with stakeholders, such as Close the Gap, to take forward the actions identified in the report.

  Scottish Government officials have been considering what may be possible within available resources to carry out work to investigate social attitudes to occupational segregation over time. We realise that this may prove challenging in the current economic climate.

  We are taking account of successful initiatives to tackle occupational segregation in other countries, in particular Sweden.

  An update on our progress will be in our next Gender Equality Scheme Annual Report, which is due to be published in March 2010 (tackling occupational segregation is one of ten gender equality objectives in the scheme). Ministers will also be reporting on listed public bodies’ progress in tackling occupational segregation by 1 July 2010 and at least every three years thereafter. This is because, in accordance with one of the Gender Equality Duty "specific duties" in Scotland, Scottish ministers recently identified occupational segregation as one of two priority areas for the advancement of equality of opportunity between men and women (the other being Violence Against Women). Reporting regularly on progress is part of the duty.

  John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information, advice and guidance is made available to (a) young people, (b) parents, (c) adults seeking retraining or employment, (d) careers and advisory services in schools and colleges and (e) employers to challenge gender stereotyping and tackle occupational segregation.

Alex Neil: Skills Development Scotland (Careers Scotland) carried out an extensive piece of research on Gender Stereotyping of Career Choice in 2006-07. A summary of the findings is captured in the report and available on its website (under Equal Opportunities) at:

  http://www.careers-scotland.org.uk/AboutCS/WhatWeDo/Research.asp.

  Following on from this project, a review was undertaken of the career information resource Career Box to ensure that activities and content promoted gender equality. Career Box is a resource that teachers and Skills Development Scotland careers advisers use with children and young people aged three to 18 years. It includes activities that specifically aim to question and explore gendered assumptions around the jobs that women and men commonly do.

  The Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence (being introduced in Scotland’s schools from August 2009) is introducing a new approach to teaching children and young people aged three to 18 years, which is more interactive between pupils and teachers. It promotes cross-subject teaching, which will allow issues such as gender stereotyping to be explored under a number of subject areas.

  Skills Development Scotland has a parents’ strategy which ensures that the gender equality issue is addressed through this key group of influencers. This would include staff incorporating gender equality in presentations to parents e.g. at parents’ evening talks during S2 options choices.

  Colleges have a significant role to play in challenging gender stereotyping and tackling occupational segregation both as education providers and as employers. Following the publication of the report of the Scottish Government’s cross-directorate working group on occupational segregation in August 2008, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/08/27101332/0, and the commitments arising out of the Review of Scotland’s Colleges, the Scottish Government is currently liaising with colleges and the Scottish Funding Council to assess the current measures being taken to tackle these areas and to develop baseline data for the college sector, which will help inform next steps.

  All young people and adults who are unemployed or seeking to retrain can engage with Skills Development Scotland through its website, call centre and public access centres. All customer-facing staff have participated in training around equality and equal opportunities. The materials and resources used consistently promote gender equality and challenge gender stereotyping.

  Employers and Learning Providers – All National Training Programme Contracts issued by Skills Development Scotland include reference to and compliance with equal opportunities legislation. The gender and equality agenda is reported on monthly to management on all national training programme contracts.

  The Scottish Government is an active partner in the Close the Gap project, which raises awareness amongst employers and employees about the gender pay gap and encourages and supports action to tackle its causes. The project has been focussing recently on occupational segregation, a major cause. More information about Close the Gap can be found on its website at:

  http://www.closethegap.org.uk/.

Housing

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question by S3W-24575 by Alex Neil on 11 June 2009, what constitutes a priority need for which a grant is mandatory.

Alex Neil: Neither the legislation nor the guidance issued by the Scottish ministers prescribes what constitutes a priority need. It is a matter for local authorities to judge whether the amenity to be provided is essential to the needs of a disabled person and to determine what lawful factors they use in setting any criteria for this purpose. The guidance for local authorities on implementing the relevant provisions of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 emphasises that local authorities should take a corporate approach to setting their criteria, since the provision of adaptations is affected by legal and financial frameworks relating to both social work and housing provision.

  Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24572 by Alex Neil on 11 June 2009, what budget is allocated to the Private Sector Housing Grant for 2009-10 and 2010-11.

Alex Neil: The budget allocated to Private Sector Housing Grant for 2009-10 is £67.335 million.

  Funding for 2010-11 will be confirmed later in the autumn when final decisions have been taken by the Scottish Government on the impact of the UK Government’s decision to impose a cut in the Scottish Budget. From 2010-11 onwards, ring fencing of Private Sector Housing Grant ceases and it becomes rolled up into the overall local government settlement.

  Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will take forward the recommendation of the Repossessions Working Group that the Financial Services Authority be asked to require lenders to provide regional data in order to understand better the level of repossessions in Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom.

Alex Neil: I wrote to the Financial Services Authority on 13 May and 7 July to press them to introduce collection and publication of regional data on repossessions, including separate data for Scotland. In my second letter, I highlighted the Repossessions Group’s recommendation on this issue.

  If we are unable to make progress with the Financial Services Authority, we will pursue the matter further with the UK Government.

Reformation

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the Reformation in 2010.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has no plans to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the Reformation in 2010.